Month: November 2019

  • Safety Tips When Staying Away from Home 

    Safety Tips When Staying Away from Home

    Staying safe during a hotel stay is extremely important. Surprisingly, however, many travelers overlook accommodation-related safety issues when they’re on the road. Don’t allow yourself to do the same thing. Take a few minutes to read the following information. Doing so puts you that much closer to a completely positive (and safe) hotel stay.  

    Arrival and Check-In

    Depending on how far you’ve traveled, there’s a good chance you’ll be tired when you arrive at your hotel destination. This is all the more reason to remain as alert as possible, at least until you climb into your (hopefully comfy) bed. Experts recommend that you request a room located higher than the ground floor. These same experts go on to explain that somewhere between the third and sixth floors is ideal. Why? The rooms on these floors are high enough to avoid someone breaking in and low enough to be reached, by ladder, in the event of a fire. Resist the temptation to walk into the hotel before your luggage. In fact, during check-in, it’s best to stay as close your bags as possible. This prevents the likelihood of your belongings getting stolen if you become momentarily distracted. Never inadvertently set your credit card on the counter. In today’s digital world, it’s extremely easy for someone to snap a quick photo of it and then use the card for fraudulent purposes. When the desk clerk hands it back to you, make sure it belongs to you and not someone else.  

    During Your Stay

    When you get to your room, there are several things you can do to help to ensure your safety. First of all, block open the door with your body or a heavy suitcase and look around the room. Check the shower, the closet area and behind the curtains before you close the door. You can easily go one step further and request that a staff member accompany you to your room to perform the check. Pay close attention to the door lock. Make sure it is fully functioning. Don’t stay in a room that doesn’t have a deadbolt. Always use the deadbolt when in the room. Invest in a door wedge to use at night or when you’re in the shower. Many criminals wait until they hear water running to try to break into a room. Keep a flashlight near your bed. In the event of a power outage, this makes it easier to navigate an unfamiliar building.  

    Leaving the Room

    Each time you leave your room, ask that your valuables be put in the hotel safe. If the hotel doesn’t have a safe, consider making reservations elsewhere. Always carry your passport with you if you’re using one. If you lose your room key, ask to be moved to a new room. There is no way to be sure that you simply misplaced it. It’s always possible that someone actually took it. Now that we’ve covered some of the simple things you can do to ensure a safe hotel stay, why not plan your next getaway? There are some great hotel deals out there, just waiting for you. Remember, as long as you follow this advice, chances are you’ll never have to deal with a negative hotel or motel experience in the future.

    Safety Tips When Staying Away from Home  2

  • Safety Tips When Taking a Road Trip

    Safety Tips When Taking a Road Trip

    There’s a lot to be said about taking a road trip. Traveling by car allows you to better enjoy the scenery and discover places that you might not find otherwise. It’s also a wonderful way to spend quality time with your family and friends.

    Before you even leave your driveway, though, it’s important to consider the following safety-related advice. Unfortunately, no one is immune when it comes to the possibility of accidents or other types of tragedy. Being prepared, safety-wise helps to reduce the chance of any problems.

    Schedule a Tune-Up

    Scheduling a tune-up shortly before you hit the road helps to ensure that you won’t have any major car repair issues. Pay a qualified mechanic to check your vehicle’s air conditioning unit, tires, battery, and all belts and fluids.

    If you’ll be towing a trailer or traveling through a hot climate, ask the mechanic if you should switch to a higher viscosity oil to keep the car’s motor running in tip-top shape.

    Pack an Emergency Kit

    It’s good practice to keep an emergency kit in your vehicle at all times. It should include items like:

    * Flares

    * Non-perishable snacks

    * Jumper cables

    * Water

    * Warm blankets (if traveling in cold weather)

    * Basic tools (to change a tire)

    * First aid kit

    If possible, you should also include a fully-charged (spare) cell phone. You never know when you may need a backup.

    “Child-Proof” the Backseat

    In the event that you’re traveling with children, it’s imperative that you “child-proof” the backseat. If your vehicle is equipped with child safety locks, activate them. Remove any harmful substances which may have taken up residence on the floorboard, such as bottles of windshield washer fluid or oil. In addition, secure items such as toys and books, to prevent them from becoming flying projectiles should it become necessary for you to stop quickly.

    Get a Good Night’s Sleep

    It should go without saying that if you’re going to be the driver, you need a good night’s sleep. Recent data indicates that sleepy drivers are a contributing factor in at least 100,000 traffic accidents per year. If you start to feel drowsy behind the wheel, stop at the nearest rest area or share the driving responsibility with other licensed passengers.

    Block out the Sun

    Yes, it’s a wise idea to wear sunscreen when riding in a car. Sunglasses and hats provide an extra layer of protection for little ones. When you exit the vehicle, cover car seats with blankets so they don’t get hot. It really doesn’t take long for everything inside to get hot enough to burn a child’s skin.

    As the old saying goes, “it’s always better to be safe than sorry.” The last thing you want is for an accident of some type to ruin your vacation. Remember, staying safe on a road trip is just as important as staying safe when you utilize other modes of travel.

    Performing the aforementioned tasks is recommended, a few days before the trip. This way, you won’t forget to do something at the last minute, when everyone is excited to get started.

    car on road

  • Teach Your Kids About Money With an Allowance 

    Taking the time to learn wise financial strategies and putting them into practice has a great impact on your children. Research shows that a substantial majority of kids are destined for a financial future that is remarkably similar to that of their parents.  

    So what you teach them about money is likely to stay with them for the rest of their lives!

      You can take advantage of this tendency to prepare your children for a great financial future. Besides managing your own money well so they mimic positive financial choices, you can also teach your kids the practices of frugality, budgeting, saving over time, and much more with effective use of an allowance.

    Starting an Allowance

      Try to recognize when your child is ready for an allowance. If you begin too soon, your child won’t comprehend the value of the money he receives. Typically, a good starting time is when the child is old enough to understand how the allowance system will work.

    Allowance Systems

    There are three types of allowance systems from which to choose:

    1. Gift System.The gift system is simply a weekly payment to the child. The money isn’t given based upon any work/chores the child does or fails to do. The child gets the money just for being part of your family.
    • The advantages of this method are that it is consistent and unchanging. There are no decisions that need to be made.
    • There are many disadvantages:
      • The child is less likely to truly appreciate it.
      • He doesn’t gain a sense of achievement.
      • The child is also unlikely to develop financial responsibility when the money is just given to him and he’s done nothing to earn it.
    1. Reward System.The reward system is the most widespread system parents utilize. Parents establish a list of chores for the kids to perform on a weekly basis and then pay an established amount for the successful completion of the chores.
    • The advantages of this system are that there are penalties for not doing the assigned chores and rewards for doing them. So this system has both reward and punishment built into it.
    • The disadvantages are somewhat difficult to see when the kids are younger, but the reward system sometimes results in a child that only wants to do something if it’s part of the established list.
    1. Income System.The last system, the income system, is similar to real life. When there is a task to do that is not typically expected of your child, he gets paid to do it. Basically, you want to create an allowance that is paid to your child for work beyond the normal responsibilities.

    This allowance will vary, but it seems to have a more positive impact than the other two systems. So you could have a simple chore list that the child must complete without financial compensation, then any other work beyond that list would result in receiving the allowance. If you’re serious about providing your children with some financial knowledge, an allowance can be a meaningful part of that education. If you also have regular discussions about money with your children in conjunction with an allowance, you’re really giving them a great head start. Don’t just hope for the best. Give them the best chance possible for a bright financial future.

    money tree